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Objective: To describe the 1861 injured inpatients and deaths in the West China Hospital of Sichuan University after the Wenchuan earthquake, to provide evidence to help improve emergency plans for earthquake, and the establishment of state-level regional medical centers., Methods: The analyses use, data provided by the Department of Information of the hospital up until 23 July 2008. Microsoft Excel for data input and SPSS 11.5 for statistical analysis were used., Results: By 23 July, 2728 people from the disaster areas had been treated in the hospital, of whom 872 were admitted to the emergency department and 1856 to the inpatient department (974 men, median age 43 years; 882 women, median age 46 years). Most (82.4%) patients were sent to the hospital within the first two weeks after the earthquake, and the number of inpatients reached its peak on day 8 (976 cases). Most (60.2%) of the inpatients were discharged between day 9 and day 18. The injured patients came mainly from Deyang, Aba Prefecture and Dujiangyan. On admission, the diagnoses were mainly fracture (54.8%), craniocerebral injury (9.8%), and thoracoabdominal injury (7.5%). Thirty-three patients died, including five who were dead on arrival at the hospital, one death in the emergency department, and 27 inpatient deaths., Conclusion: The development of an emergency plan for medical rescue after an earthquake disaster is an essential step to enhance emergency response capability, to improve the scientific process of field triage, transport and transfer, and to ensure the rational allocation and application of healthcare resources after large disasters in the future., (© 2008 Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd and Chinese Cochrane Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University.)

Objectives: The study was aimed at evaluating facets of psychiatric inpatient care of patients with schizophrenia in a German and a Japanese hospital., Methods: Based upon a sample of 865 inpatients of the Psychiatric State Hospital Regensburg (BKR) and 50 inpatients of the Tokyo Women's Medical University (TWMU) admitted in 1997, data of a psychiatric basic documentation system (BADO) were analysed with regard to essential process and outcome indicators., Results: Despite dissimilarities between both patient groups with respect to schizophrenic subtype, duration of illness as well as severity of illness and psychosocial functioning, the differences regarding therapeutic treatment and outcome were marked. In 1997, the rate of atypical neuroleptics was 18% at the BKR and 12% at the TWMU. Inpatients of the TWMU were given benzodiazepines and anticholinergic drugs significantly more frequently. Male patients of the TWMU showed more severe side-effects. Psychotherapy and sociotherapy were less frequently applied at the TWMU. Although the patient groups did not differ with regard to suicidal behaviour and overt aggressions during hospitalisation, we found a higher rate of mechanical restraints at the TWMU. In 1997, the average length of stay was significantly higher at the TWMU (153 days) than at the BKR (52 days), but inpatients of the TWMU improved only slightly better with regard to global psychosocial functioning (GAF) and severity of illness (CGI)., Conclusions: The revealed differences in treatment are likely due to differences in service provision and national practices in Germany and Japan and provide clues for quality improvements. The BADO is a useful tool for continuous quality management and an ongoing international exchange concerning psychiatric inpatient care.

Three hundred thirty-three elderly schizophrenic inpatients were rated on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), and those remaining in the hospital after 1 year (N = 267) were rated and followed for an additional year. Based on previous studies showing that aggressive episodes and hostile behavior predicted inability to discharge schizophrenics, we hypothesized that low discharge rates would be correlated with high baseline ratings on the activation factor of the PANSS (PANSS-AF), obtained by summing six items (hostility, poor impulse control, excitement, uncooperativeness, poor rapport, and tension). Baseline PANSS-AF scores were found to be inversely correlated with discharge rates, independent of ratings on other symptom dimensions. PANSS-AF scores were a better predictor of outcome than any individual PANSS item (e.g., hostility), and individual item scores did not add significantly to prediction of discharge. Attention to and development of treatments for activation symptoms, highly prevalent in schizophrenia but not included in our present diagnostic systems, may increase the chances of elderly inpatients with schizophrenia of moving to community settings.

Background: Olanzapine has a U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved dosing range of 10 to 20 mg/day but is often used at doses exceeding this range. Olanzapine is largely metabolized by cytochrome P450 (CYP) 1A2. Smoking, which induces CYP1A2, is expected to increase clearance of olanzapine by 40%; however, dosage adjustment in smokers is not currently recommended. Additionally, female gender is expected to reduce clearance by 30%. Many institutions target high-dose olanzapine prescribers in an effort to reduce unnecessary drug costs. However, factors such as smoking or gender may necessitate increased doses., Method: A retrospective review of all patients receiving olanzapine during an inpatient stay at a state psychiatric hospital in Kentucky during 2001 was conducted. Demographic information and smoking status were collected for all patients. Olanzapine doses of > 20 mg/day were considered high doses., Results: Nine percent (48/522) of olanzapine patients were prescribed high doses. The percentages were similar in women and men (10% vs. 9%, p =.69) and in smokers and nonsmokers (9% vs. 9%, p =.82). Moreover, the mean maximum olanzapine dose was also similar in men and women (15.4 +/- 7.2 vs. 14.9 +/- 7.3 mg/day, p =.51). The odds of receiving a high dose of olanzapine were increased 2.1 for patients with a schizophrenia spectrum diagnosis (DSM-IV schizophrenia or other psychotic disorder). The odds of receiving a high dose of olanzapine were increased with each incremental increase in length of stay (intermediate length of stay [8-60 days], OR = 5.6; long-term length of stay [> 60 days], OR = 12.0, relative to acute length of stay [< 8 days])., Conclusions: Neither gender nor smoking status was associated with receiving a high dose of olanzapine. The association of increased length of stay with high dose suggests that treatment resistance may be an important factor in receiving high daily doses of olanzapine.

This study explored factors associated with psychiatric morbidity in typhoid fever in a Nigerian general hospital. Information such as sociodemographic characteristics, symptom manifestations, results of investigations, neuropsychiatric symptoms, outcome and disposal were obtained from the case files of patients admitted for typhoid fever over a period of six years. The patients with psychiatric morbidity conspicuous enough to be documented by the attending physicians-mostly internists-were compared with those with no documented psychiatric morbidity on sociodemographic and clinical indices. Of the 136 cases, 26 (19.1%) had psychiatric morbidity. This included delirium (73.1%), generalized anxiety disorder (3.8%), depressive episode (3.8%), schizophrenia like disorder (3.8%) and monosymptomatic neuropychiatric manifestations such as apathy, hallucinations and irrelevant talking (15.5%). The clinical and sociodemographic indices that were significantly associated with psychiatric morbidity were diarrhea, blood biochemical imbalance and age (P<.05). Adolescents and young adults were more predisposed to developing psychiatric complications. Some factors potentially associated with psychiatric morbidity in typhoid fever have been identified. There is the need to prospectively assess the burden from psychiatric morbidity and identify interventions that may reduce it.

Objective: This study examined the mental health service utilization and costs of 321 discharged state hospital patients during a 3-year follow-up period compared with costs if the patients had remained in the hospital., Method: The study subjects were long-stay patients discharged from Philadelphia State Hospital after 1988. A longitudinal integrated database on all mental health and medical services reimbursed by Medicaid and Medicare as well as state- and county-funded services was used to construct service utilization and unit cost measures., Results: During the 3-year period after discharge, 20%-30% of the patients required rehospitalization an average of 76-91 days per year. The percentage of rehospitalized patients decreased over time, but the number of hospital days increased. All of the discharged patients received case management services, and a majority also received outpatient mental health care (66%-70%) and residential services (75%) throughout the follow-up period. The total treatment cost per person was approximately $60,000 a year after controlling for inflation, with costs rising slightly over the 3-year period. The estimated cost of state hospitalization, with the use of 1992 estimates, would have been $130,000 per year if the patients had remained institutionalized., Conclusions: This analysis suggests that most former long-stay patients are able to live in residential settings while receiving community outpatient treatment and intensive case management services at a reduced cost. There is no indication of cost shifting from the psychiatric to the health care sector; however, some cost shifting from the state mental health agency to the Medicaid program has occurred, since most psychiatric hospital care now takes place in community hospitals.

Of the 4,480 elderly subjects in a multistage random sampling household survey of a National Survey of the Welfare of the Elderly in Thailand (SWET), 669 (14.9%) reported that they had been hospitalised during the last year and were recruited in an analysis which aimed to examine associated factors of state hospital utilisation among Thai elderly. Seventy eight per cent had been admitted once during the last year. Mean (standard deviation) duration of hospital stay during the last year was 11.9 (20.1) days. For the last period of hospitalisation, 532 elderly (79.5%) were admitted to state hospitals. One hundred and nineteen elderlies (17.8%) used private hospitals. Only 18 elderly (2.3%) used both state and private hospitals. According to the causes of hospitalisation, the elderly who used state hospitals were not more severely ill than those who used private hospitals. Nine univariate factors associated with state hospital utilisation were entered in a logistric regression model in which five independent determinants were identified including 'do not have electricity', 'heads of the family are not their children', 'do not have own savings', 'live in rural area', and 'have heard about free health care programme'. The Ministry of Public Health and organisations which are concerned with the elderly should allocate more resources to advertising a free health care programme for Thai elderly.

Inpatient treatment continues to be the most expensive form of mental health service. This study sought to improve the methodological weaknesses, e.g., poor statistical controls, in the literature by using multivariate statistics to predict hospitalization. Results revealed that aftercare, i.e., outpatient treatment, is an important factor in reducing the utilization of inpatient resources, even when controlling for demographic and psychiatric history variables. Further, background characteristics, while easily measured, are not important predictors of hospitalization.

Objective: Professional skepticism and concerns regarding diagnostic reliability hinder research in dissociative disorders and multiple personality disorder. The reported frequency of multiple personality disorder in different psychiatric settings ranges from 2.4% to 35%. The authors conducted a replication study of multiple personality disorder ascertainment in women admitted to a state hospital over a 5.5-month period., Method: Responses to the Dissociative Experiences Scale and to the Dissociative Disorders Interview Schedule were obtained, along with data on length of stay, county of admission referral, admission commitment status, and discharge diagnoses, for 176 female inpatients in a state hospital. Of 421 women representing 483 consecutive admissions, 121 were discharged before they could be assessed for study, 64 were excluded, 60 declined to participate, 176 enrolled in the study, and 175 completed the research procedures., Results: Twenty-one women (12%) met criteria for multiple personality disorder based on the Dissociative Disorders Interview Schedule; these women were significantly younger than the women without multiple personality disorder. Scores on the Dissociative Experiences Scale of the women with multiple personality disorder (mean = 59.5, SD = 19.6) were significantly higher than the scores of women without multiple personality disorder (mean = 22.5, SD = 20.1), but considerable overlap occurred. There was no significant difference between groups in length of stay or admission status., Conclusions: The authors conclude that 1) the wide variability in multiple personality disorder detection is partially due to site-specific ascertainment biases and 2) despite its apparent usefulness for screening purposes, the Dissociative Experiences Scale requires more comprehensive evaluation before it can be applied broadly.

Objective: A subpopulation of chronically mentally ill patients, sometimes referred to as "revolving door" patients, are frequently readmitted to psychiatric units. This study examined the relationships among demographic features, diagnostic characteristics, and frequency of hospitalization of patients from four state hospitals., Method: Two semistructured, standardized instruments, the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia and a life events history, were administered to 135 inpatients who met the Research Diagnostic Criteria for schizophrenia (N = 56), schizoaffective disorder (N = 33), unipolar major depressive disorder (N = 23), and bipolar disorder (N = 23). Criminal history was assessed by arrest records. The main outcome measure was the number of hospitalizations., Results: Chi-square and trend test analyses indicated that substance abuse and noncompliance with medication regimens were significantly associated with higher frequencies of hospitalization. A multiple regression model, which included alcohol/drug problems, medication noncompliance, and six sociodemographic and diagnostic variables (age, gender, race, marital status, years of education, and diagnosis) accounted for a significant proportion of the ability to predict frequency of hospitalization. Half of this predictability was due to the relationship of substance abuse and medication noncompliance with number of hospitalizations., Conclusions: Alcohol/drug problems and noncompliance with medication were the most important factors related to frequency of hospitalization. Preventing these behaviors through patient education may reduce rehospitalization rates.

This study investigated the extent to which mental illness and substance use hospitalization rates were related to the supply of psychiatric treatment services. Supply variables, notably the per capita rate of psychiatrists, primary care physicians, and specialty units, were strongly related to mental illness and substance use hospitalization rates to acute care hospitals across 114 small geographic areas in Iowa. The supply of outpatient services was not related to hospitalization rates. The need to study the reliability of patient assessment processes, refine guidelines and admissions criteria, and understand the contributions of supply variables to hospitalization rates are indicated by these results. A conceptual model is offered within which the dynamic cycle from patient functioning to service delivery may be framed.

Objective: By focusing on the functioning of a state hospital throughout its existence, the author provides a historical perspective on the nature and causes of "revolving door" admissions., Method: Northampton State Hospital was chosen as a prototype, and data on characteristics of patients and patterns of hospital utilization were analyzed from three 10-year periods: 1880-1889, 1930-1939, and 1980-1989. The data for the first two time periods came from the hospital's admission and discharge logbooks and its annual reports; the material for the most recent decade was obtained from unpublished yearly reports generated by the hospital's medical records department., Results: The hospital operated very differently in each of the decades analyzed, but only in the 1980s was recidivism a major finding. This was not, as has often been thought, due to problems or populations unique to the state hospital in the 1980s nor to the fact that in earlier eras the state hospital rarely discharged patients. The once-large asylum has been replaced by a facility rapidly admitting and discharging patients, many of whom have accumulated more than 10 lifetime admissions, in a pattern of care not previously noted., Conclusions: State hospitals have functioned in different yet questionable ways throughout their history. Their current role of providing a revolving-door pattern of care to a considerable population is rooted in a contemporary shift in ideology. This role for state hospitals appears to make no more sense than did their earlier role as neglected and neglectful asylums, and it should be reevaluated.

The results of a correlational analysis of the relationship between monthly state unemployment statistics and admissions to eight Missouri Department of Mental Health facilities are presented. Over a period of 100 months, readmissions, rather than new admissions, showed the strongest positive relationship to unemployment. A second study-a retrospective analysis of admissions before and after a major increase in unemployment-supported the results of the correlational analysis. A third analysis of subset of the original sample, comprised of patients unemployed at the time of admission, suggests that public facilities are more accessible to the unemployed during times of economic adversity. The findings on the relationship of readmission rates to the state of the economy have important implications for policy on deinstitutionalization. The planning, development, and evaluation of community care programs should include consideration of employment data.

A review of the histories of six patients who failed to adapt to community living after hospital discharge identified six factors that are predictive of serious maladjustment in the community. The are the absence of a family or soical network, repeated threats of violent behavior, previous hospitalization, poor previous functioning, inability to take responsibility for medical and mental health treatment, and suffering. Patients identified by two or more factors are likely to be unable to cope with life outside the hospital. The authors question whether attempting to maintain such patients in the community is desirable in terms of economic cost and patient suffering.

The authors investigated the factors relating to the observation that in a large state hospital, there is an age-related increase in the ratio of patients with a DSM-II diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia to those with a diagnosis of nonparanoid schizophrenia. Elderly inpatients (N = 1,518) treated over a 5-year period were studied and the hypotheses of proportionately greater numbers with late onset of paranoid conditions, longer lengths of stay for recently admitted paranoid patients, and changing diagnosis over time were tested and rejected. The data suggest that the buildup among the elderly of those diagnosed under DSM-II to have paranoid conditions is due to patients admitted well before age 54. The authors discuss the reasons for the poor prognosis of this group.